Lonely Hearts
by The Big Lazy Dragon
Summary: A chance meeting on a stormy night brings two lonely gargoyles together. Revised to set the story during 'Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles', sometime after 'Runaways' and before 'Genesis Undone'.


Lonely Hearts

Written by Donald E. Fleming II

Story concept by Donald E. Fleming II

Disclaimer: All Gargoyles characters are the property of Disney and Buena Vista Studios and are being used without their consent or permission. Other Gargoyle characters are the property of The Gargoyle Saga (TGS) writing staff and also are being used without their permission. I am receiving no reward for this story other than the satisfaction of being able to share it with others as it is intended solely for my own entertainment and the entertainment of Gargoyle fandom everywhere.

_The Eyrie Building_

Brooklyn watched as Angela glided through the air, circling the turret of the castle twice before setting down and smiling to her chosen love. _Broadway._ Brooklyn sighed heavily.

Ever since he met Goliath's daughter, his _biological_ daughter, Brooklyn had pulled out all the stops, trying to impress her. Angela should have been his, he thought, since he was Goliath's second-in-command, but Angela had chosen his rotund rookery brother over him. _What could Broadway give her that I couldn't? _he thought. He watched as Broadway pulled out a book of poetry and began reading to her, making sweeping gestures with his hand as he tried to compare her beauty to that of the stars, and found the stars lacking. _Pretty good for someone who couldn't read two years ago, _Brooklyn thought. _Although I could do much better._ _I could come up with something original._

His thoughts were interrupted as he felt a drop of water hit him on the beak. He looked up and grumbled as he saw the dark clouds that had been gathering for the better part of an hour begin to open up and rain began to pour down onto the castle. _Oh, wonderful, _he thought. _That's all I need. _He heard a startled cry below and looked down as Broadway draped his wing over Angela's head as they bolted for the doorway into the castle. _Now I'm going to have to listen to the two of them for the rest of the night._ He looked out across the city, wondering if he should chance going out in the storm. _Anything's better than being stuck in the castle with those two._ He spread his wings and leapt off the battlement, heading for someplace where he could sulk in private.

The Labyrinth 

Delilah curled up in the oversized recliner and began reading as the rest of the clones sat around the small TV set, watching intently the movie that was on. One of them turned up the volume until it was almost blaring and she shot a hard glance at them, then barked at them.

"Do you mind?" she called out over the sound of laser fire and explosions coming from the TV.

"S...s...sorry, Delilah," Hollywood apologized and quickly turned down the volume.

Somewhat satisfied, she returned her attention back to the book. It was a romance novel; Talon's mate Maggie had given it to her when Delilah began showing improvement in her reading abilities and she wanted to tackle something more 'substantial' than 'Green Eggs and Ham' and 'See Spot Run'.

She looked up again as the movie broke for a commercial and the clones seemed to lose interest in the ramblings of a well-dressed human male talking about the benefits of 'term-life insurance'. _They certainly do have limited attention spans, _she recalled Talon saying. _Unlike me. _Of all the clones Thailog had created, her programming had been more thorough, more complete. He could have given her the same basic 'Obey Thailog' mindset that the others had, but he hadn't. He wanted more than just a simple-minded love toy; he wanted a mate he could communicate and plan strategies with, someone to replace Demona when the time was right.

That had all come to an end several months ago when Thailog and Demona disappeared in the fire at Coney Island. Without Thailog, the rest of the clones didn't know what to do, so Talon had agreed to take them in, since Goliath's clan was uncomfortable around them. Delilah had initially hoped that Thailog had survived the fire after she learned that Demona had survived, but in the months since his disappearance, he hadn't made one single attempt to contact her. And after she learned just what kind of monster Thailog truly was, she soon lost all interest in her creator.

But now she was faced with a new problem; she was lonely, and the romance novel she was reading really didn't help matters. She looked up briefly as the clones realized the movie was back on and clustered around the TV again. She coughed soundly as she saw Hollywood reaching for the volume control and the clone looked back at her apologetically, then sat back without touching the knob. She resumed her reading.

After a little while, she became aware of one of the clones standing next to the chair, looking at her.

"Yes, Malibu," she asked.

"Darling, forgive me," the clone of Brooklyn said.

"What?" she asked, confused by his words. _What did he just call me?_

He paused for a minute, his attention not on her for all of three seconds, then he focused on her again. "You're my Juliet, my Venus," he said.

Delilah sat up, suddenly attentive. _Was it possible that he was attempting to court me?_ she wondered. She looked down at the romance novel she had been reading and then set it aside. She was stunned. _Maybe I've been wrong about them, _she thought. _Maybe..._

Malibu looked over at the TV, then turned his attention back to her. "All the other girls meant nothing to me," he said, and that's when Delilah realized he was quoting dialog from the movie. He moved closer to her and bent to kiss her. "It was you..." he started, but then Delilah brought up her hand and planted it against his chest, holding him back.

"Should I talk dirty to you now?" he asked.

Delilah let out a frustrated growl, then shoved Malibu away from her, hard. He landed on the floor and watched as Delilah stalked out of the room. She grabbed her jacket and started for the access tunnel.

"Where do you think you're going?" Maggie asked, seeing her starting to leave.

"Away from here," she snapped, then turned as she saw the clones looking at her in confusion. "And especially away from them."

"You know that you're not allowed..." Maggie started, but then Delilah cut her off.

"Why not?" she snapped. "I am smarter than they are. I can look after myself."

"Look, Delilah," Maggie said. "I know you want to believe that, but it still doesn't change the fact that you and the other clones are our responsibility. We can't let you just leave whenever you feel like it. You could end up getting hurt..."

"I won't get hurt, Maggie," she said, then looked back at the clones. "But one of them might if you don't let me go."

Maggie looked over at the clones. "Trouble again?" she asked. "What did they do this time?"

"Ask Malibu," she said, turning to leave. Maggie reached out to stop her, but Delilah was already heading down the tunnel. Maggie sighed as she disappeared from sight before turning her attention to the clones.

"Okay," she said. "Someone want to tell me what happened?"

Delilah frowned as she glided through the air, the rain doing little to improve her mood. _Maggie wouldn't understand, _she thought. _She has a mate. How could she understand what I'm feeling? How could any of them? _She changed course, trying to put as much distance between herself and the Labyrinth as possible, but found herself heading towards another place she didn't wish to go. _The castle. _She stopped, landing on a rooftop, and paused as she looked ahead of her. She certainly couldn't go there. The gargoyles were uneasy about the clones, and Goliath was especially uneasy about her. She had been created for Thailog, _his _clone, and her resemblance to the human Elisa Maza made him very uneasy. It probably would have been easy for her to try to engage him in a relationship if he wasn't already involved with Elisa, but he was, and Delilah knew that there was no coming between them. Frowning, she leapt from the roof and headed in the opposite direction.

The Empire State Building came into view. She sighed as she shifted her direction and started for the top of the building until she reached the observation deck roof. Landing, she sat down and waited for the storm to let up a bit. _Maybe if I'm lucky, a bolt of lightning will hit and put me out of my misery._

She heard the sound of someone else landing on the roof on the opposite side of the observation deck. Wondering who it could be, she crept over and peeked.

She could see another gargoyle sitting down, and her mouth drew into a frown as she saw a long beak. _Malibu, _she thought. _What does he want now? Probably to apologize. _She took a step towards him, intending to tell him to leave her alone, when she caught a better look at the gargoyle in the dim light.

_White hair, _she noted, and his skin was red, not pale green. _Not Malibu, _she realized. It was Brooklyn. She took a step back, suddenly unsure of herself.

Brooklyn sat down on the roof, sighing heavily. _I'll never find a mate,_ he thought miserably. _Might as well face it, even if there are other gargoyles out there, I'm definitely not a prize catch, especially with this thing. _He ran his hand over the top of his beak, wiping away the rainwater. _What female would want a freak like me around?_

Delilah paused as she watched him sitting there, moping. _Why is he here? _she wondered. _Could it be he's in the same spot I'm in? Is he...lonely? _She took a step towards him, but then her foot shot out from under her. She fell down hard.

Brooklyn's head shot around at the noise. He jumped up and took a step in the direction where Delilah had fallen. "Who's there?" he challenged.

Delilah froze, suddenly afraid. _He doesn't trust us,_ she thought frantically. _He looks on us as forgeries, copies. We're not true gargoyles in the eyes of Goliath's clanmates. _She almost bolted, but then she turned to see Brooklyn approaching, his tail twitching from side to side in agitation. _He'll attack if I run, _she thought. _Maybe I should stay right where I am. He might not see me..._

"Who are you?" she heard him say angrily. She turned and saw his eyes blazing white.

"It...it's only me, Brooklyn," she said.

Brooklyn took a step back, recognizing the voice. "Elisa?" he asked.

"N...no," she said. "It's...Delilah."

Brooklyn took another step back, remembering his first encounter with the hybrid female. Thailog and Demona had set a trap for the clan, and they had fallen right into it. But when Demona tried to stop Thailog from killing Angela, the evil clone tossed her aside and brought out Delilah, ordering the hybrid of both Demona and Elisa to kill them. She would have if it hadn't been for Demona...

"What do you want?" he asked heatedly.

"N...nothing," she stammered. "I just wanted to...I needed some time alone. Away from the others."

"You know you're not supposed to leave the Labyrinth," he said.

"I know," she said. "But I had to get away from there. I just couldn't stand being with the others for another minute."

"Others," Brooklyn repeated. "You mean the other clones."

"Yes," she said. "They are annoying." She sighed. "You wouldn't care anyway."

The sadness in her voice touched his heart, and he took a hesitant step towards her. Moving carefully, he sat down next to her and gently reached out to touch her shoulder. "Why don't you tell me what happened?" he asked.

Delilah looked over at him, trembling slightly at his touch, but the softness in his voice lifted her spirits some. "I am...lonely," she said. "Ever since Mas...Thailog died, I have been alone. No one cares about me." She looked away as she felt the first hint of tears appear. "No one."

"Not even the rest of the clones," he asked.

"They try," she admitted. "But they are dumb. They do not know what to do." She looked over at Brooklyn. "I am tired of being alone. I need someone who will care for me, but there is no one in the Labyrinth who is a suitable...who is suitable."

Brooklyn looked at her, and realized what she was asking. _She's got the same problem you do, _he thought. _She needs a mate._ _Of course, she hasn't come out and asked you yet, _he told himself. _Probably because of the big honker you have. _He sighed at the irony of the situation. _Here you are, sitting with a female gargoyle who will probably never see you as anything other than a friend. And it doesn't help matters that she looks like Elisa, and is even better looking than Angela. _Like Broadway and Lexington, he'd developeda bit of a crush on Elisa early on, but that ended when it became obvious that she and Goliath were developing feelings for each other _But maybe..._

"Have you thought about...anyone...else?" he asked.

Delilah turned to look at him. She opened her mouth to say something, but immediately closed it, not wanting to sound stupid. _I shouldn't, _she thought. _He's in competition with his rookery brothers over Angela. It wouldn't be fair..._ But then her mind began turning, realizing that maybe he had given up. It was obvious that Angela had already chosen a mate. _Why else would Brooklyn be here, out in the rain? _She gave the brick-red gargoyle a quick glance. _He looks like Malibu, but he isn't. And he's smart, not like her brothers. And he was Goliath's second. He could be a good mate, _she thought.

"I mean," he started. "If there was someone else...someone who..."

"You mean you?" she asked.

"Kinda, yeah," he said. "I know I'm probably not the greatest looking..." He paused, running his hand over the top of his beak. "Especially with this thing..."

"Actually," she started hesitantly. "I...like it."

That made Brooklyn's eyes go wide. "You do?"

"I...read somewhere," she said. "About men with big noses having big..."

Brooklyn gulped soundly. "Uh, that's...uh...I mean..."

"Are you saying that it isn't true?" Delilah asked.

"Well...uh...I'm not saying that it's not, but...uh..."

Delilah turned towards him, then ran her hand along his arm. "Can you...show me?"

Brooklyn's hormones were starting to rage, and there was a buzzing sound in his head. _She's a babe, _he thought. _And she's putting the moves on you! What are you waiting for?_ He brushed her hand away, then grabbed her by the arms and forced her down to the roof of the observation deck, kissing her hungrily. Delilah started to protest, but then relaxed, submitting herself to his passion. As soon as he felt her give in, he immediately backed off. _This isn't right, _he thought. _She was programmed by Thailog to be submissive, a willing slave. If you take advantage of that, you'd be no better than he was._

"Is...is something...wrong?" she asked.

"I...I can't do this," he said, trying to avoid looking at her as she lay there, offering herself to him. "I mean...I want to, but I can't."

Delilah sat up, confused. "You don't...desire me?" she asked.

Brooklyn looked at her. "I'm not saying that," he said. "I mean, you're incredible-looking, and any gargoyle would jump at the chance to be with you. But I have to remember that Thailog created you. He programmed you to be an ideal mate, and that's the part I have a problem with."

"I don't understand," she said. "I'm not supposed to be submissive?"

"You're too submissive," Brooklyn said. "I don't mean that to sound cruel, but it's the truth. I may be crazy saying this, but I'm looking for a mate, not a love slave."

"You don't like me," she said, sounding dejected.

"I didn't say that," he said. "All I'm saying is that you need to be a little more assertive. Don't give in quite so easily. When I kissed you just now, it felt great. But then you just...gave in. If I had kept going, it would have been as if I had raped you, and I couldn't do that." He paused, looking at her. "Not to you. No matter what Thailog programmed you to do."

"Are you saying you still want to be with me?"

"I'd be crazy to let you go," Brooklyn said. "Listen, why don't I take you back to the Labyrinth. I'm pretty sure Talon's going to be ticked off at you for leaving, but hopefully I can smooth things over with him. Then we can figure out what to do later."

"Okay," she said. She waited until Brooklyn stood up, then let him help her to her feet. Together, they leapt off the top of the Empire State Building as the storm finally began to let up.

The Labyrinth 

Talon was pacing back and forth by the entrance to the Labyrinth, clearly upset. "You shouldn't have let her take off," he snapped.

"I tried," Maggie said. "But you know how she is. She's lonely, Talon. She has been ever since she got here."

"All the more reason for her to stay down here," he said. "Who knows what trouble she'll end up getting into..." He stopped, hearing the sound of someone approaching. He turned and caught sight of Delilah. "Where the hell were you?" he barked.

"She was with me, Talon," Brooklyn said. "If that's okay with you."

Talon crossed his arms, glaring at the gargoyle. "You know that the clones are not..."

"I know," Brooklyn said. "But I also know that she needed some time away from this place." He set his hand on Delilah's shoulder. "I don't think it'll happen again."

Delilah looked at Maggie. "I'm sorry for what happened," she said. "I was just...I needed someone to talk to. Someone who would understand..."

"It's okay," Maggie said. "Come on, let's get you dried off. No sense in you catching a cold." She put her hands on the clone's shoulders and led her inside.

"Is there anything else?" Talon asked, watching as Brooklyn watched Maggie lead the clone away.

"Yeah," Brooklyn said. "I want you to go easy on her, Talon. She doesn't need you yelling at her all the time."

"If she would follow the rules..."

"She doesn't need rules right now," Brooklyn said. "She need understanding. If you can't handle that, I'll be happy to take her off your hands."

Talon glared at him, but he could already tell that there was something going on between the two. "All right," he said. "I'll lay off her for a while. This time."

"Thanks, Talon," he said. Turning, he left the Labyrinth, looking back only once as he saw Talon head inside.

The End

Not quite...

_Three months later..._

Brooklyn watched as Goliath set the stone figure of Thailog in place on the roof while he and Angela gently raised Delilah and set her into position. _This can't be happening, _he thought miserably. _I can't lose her now. _As soon as he felt Angela let go of Delilah, he turned so no one could see the tears running down his face.

The clones had succumbed to an illness, a defect in their genetic make-up that was causing a breakdown of their cellular structure. In desperation, they had turned to Sevarius for help, but he ended up being as untrustworthy as usual, using the DNA he had gathered from the gargoyles, which was supposed to be used to create a serum which would repair the damage, to 'jump-start' a special project of his own...

"They seem at home here," Angela said as she turned towards her father.

"Who can say what the future holds," Goliath said as they saw the sky begin to brighten with the coming dawn. "We were stone a thousand years between breaths. Perhaps these troubled creatures have not seen their final sunrise."

_I hope not, _Brooklyn thought, discretely resting his open hand against Delilah's frozen cheek. _If it takes another thousand years, I swear I'll find a way to bring you back to me, _he thought as sleep finally claimed them.

The End


End file.
